IGW-NET users can almost instantly create a big data-enabled model of groundwater flow (steady or unsteady) and contaminant
transport anywhere in the world. Model inputs and representations (e.g., conceptual/structural, boundary and
initial conditions, sources and sinks, number of layers, grid resolution, and display parameters) can be interactively
modified and further customized based on study objectives and other available (local) data, as well as user experience and
expertise.
The IGW-NET platform offers the following additional unique capabilities:
Realtime MODFLOW / IGW Numerical Engine
The IGW-NET model engine can utilize MODFLOW or Interactive Groundwater (IGW) solvers/algorithms and is real-time interactive, meaning you can visualize and computationally steer simulated flow and plume dynamics and water budget dynamically as the simulation proceeds (the output is provided dynamically as a "movie" or animation).
Support is provided for MODFLOW-6 (regular and nested grids), MODFLOW-2005, MODFLOW-USG (regular grids), and MODFLOW-NWT. On-the-fly nested modeling capability allows grid refinement in areas of interest. Boundary conditions or sources and sinks are modeled with the common packages (CHD, DRN, EVT, GHB, RCH, RIV, WEL), with future support for additional packages (SFR, LAK).
Realtime Cloud-powered Modeling
IGW-NET is cloud-powered – accessible on demand anywhere anytime, through an internet browser on your PC, smart phone, or tablet. There is no software or data to download, there is are no operating system requirements, and simulation, analysis and visualization are handled on IGW-NET’s server. Data, software, platform, as well as, computational infrastructure are provided as a service, benefiting the entire environmental/water community – researchers, consultants, educators, students, and managers and planners.
Collaborative/Participatory Modeling
And because IGW-NET is web-based, it enables an exciting, new type of participatory modeling experience where collaborators from around the world operate, control and work live on the same model(s). In other words, changes and updates made by users in completely different locations are displayed to all users in realtime. And when one user submits a model for simulation, all users in the group simultaneously view the results.
Realtime Data-enabled Modeling
IGW-NET is data-enabled, meaning it is live-linked to a preprocessed global spatial database so that you can instantly create a unified flow and transport model that can be further refined / modified. Key global datasets that are available for modeling include: land topography and surface water networks (from high resolution Digital Elevation Models), surficial aquifer thickness, hydraulic conductivity of surficial aquifers/deposits, climate data (precipitation air temperature), static water levels, monitoring well sensor data, land use, and soil type and soil properties. More datasets are available for specific regions (e.g., United States), and we are continuously expanding the scope of our global spatial database.
Recently, Web Data Services-enabled modeling was added to IGW-NET - a direct link or "bridge" between DataNet WMS, WFS, and WCS service layers and IGW-NET for data import and model parameterization. Users can take advantage of a global, multi-scale “Data Tree” of existing Data Web Services - organized by region and environmental category – or they can import from external / 3rd party web data servers.
Realtime Hierarchical Modeling
IGW-NET users can interactively and ‘on the fly’ insert models inside of models (inside of models, etc.) to characterize flow and transport processes at and across different spatial scales. This approach allows solving large complex problems encountered in real-world hydrogeology as a series of smaller, interconnected problems: multiple models across different scales or areas of interest are solved, instead of solving one large, high-resolution model. This approach significantly relaxes computational/numerical bottlenecks traditionally involved with tackling complexity.
Realtime Unstructured Grid Modeling
IGW-NET allows users to refine the computational grid to resolve more details in key areas of interest, for example: in the vicinity of a pumping well, or near a river or stream, where head dynamics change quickly over time and/or space. The approach is based on nested grids consisting of rectangular cells (other cell shapes are not supported at this time). Users can generate and visualize their unstructured grid using M4W IGW-NET, or they can import “refinement zones from a shapefile created externally. Unstructured grid results are automatically shown in the map display. Users can further analyze the unstructured model results with tools for: aquifer/zone water balance; cross-section visualization; time-series hydrographs (at monitoring wells); and particle tracking.
Realtime Stochastic Modeling
IGW-NET enables users to examine the impact of unmodeled small-scale heterogeneities and perform risk-based prediction through stochastic Monte Carlo simulations. Spatial parameters are represented random fields, and flow and transport simulations are automatically “recomputed” for the various realizations. Monte Carlo forward and reverse particle tracking applications allows realtime delineation of probabilistic capture zones and impact/influence zones, respectively. Monte Carlo solute transport modeling can be used to calculate the risk of exceeding MCL / threshold concentration values at locations of interest/concern.
Immersive 3D Geologic Modeling
IGW-NET includes capabilities for “multiscale transition probability geostatistics” (Carle, 1999) to simulate 3D aquifer material variability. The model links fundamental observable attributes (lithology transition rates from borehole records) with probabilistic “Markov chain model” parameters. The output is a set of materials sets (e.g., AQ (aquifer), MAQ (marginal aquifer), PCM (partially confining material), and CM (confining material)) and a visual representation on a 3D grid. The material sets can be used for GroundWater modeling (e.g., to generate a 3D hydraulic conductivity field). IGW-NET is live-linked to a number of statewide borehole lithology database, and also provides an interface filter for importing external lithology datasets.
Realtime Reactive Transport Modeling
IGW-NET users can interactively introduce particles as “tracers” in a variety of styles - at a point, in a zone, around a well(s), or along a line – or contaminants in different modes – as specified concentrations, fluxes, or head dependent fluxes, from various surface or subsurface sources, including polluted streams, lakes, injection wells, or leaky landfills/dump sites – and instantly track and visualize particles and plume migration, taking into account diffusion, dispersion, sorption, and reactions. Solute transport modeling in IGW-NET can be done with the Interactive Ground Water (IGW) source code or using MT3D, which allows simulating multi-species reactions (including interspecies reactions and parent-child chain reactions).
Realtime Variable-Density Flow Modeling
IGW-NET users can choose to model variable density groundwater systems (such as those involving temperature gradients or seawater intrusion) by using the integrated SEAWAT or MODFLOW-6 “Density Flow” solver. This couples constituent transport and flow and create visualizations with both concentration and head.
Realtime Coupled Lake-Aquifer Modeling
IGW-NET enables lake water balance modeling and coupled lake-groundwater modeling, accounting for precipitation, evaporation, surface runoff, surface water inflows/outflows, groundwater seepage and infiltration, etc. Lake levels can be computed as part of this coupled groundwater-lake interaction model.
Realtime Calibration with Bigdata
IGW-NET allows flow model calibration at regional scale using water level measurements from densely populated, statewide/provincial water well databases. Calibrating regional flow models to high-density (but noisy) water level data provides an excellent starting point for sub-scale data collection, modeling, and analysis.
Also available for calibration are US Geological Survey sensor data that can be seamlessly extracted and compared with simulated outputs. Groundwater level time series data can be used for both transient and steady-state model calibration (by comparing average, maximum, or minimum observed water levels to steady-state simulated head).
Automated Parameter Optimization
IGW-NET further allows estimating (optimizing) model parameters via the UCODE auto-calibration (inverse modeling) method based on nonlinear regression (Poeter and Hill, 1999). Observations to be matched in the regression can be: head (water levels), fluxes (e.g., to / from surface water bodies), and/or concentrations. Calibration parameters that can be optimized include: recharge (or recharge multiplier for spatially-explicit representations), hydraulic conductivity (or conductivity multiplier), anisotropy ratios (Kx/Ky, Kx/Kx), specific yield and specific storage, and river/stream/lake leakances and drain leakances.
Realtime Aquifer Test Modeling
IGW-NET offers tools for calculating drawdown and estimating aquifer properties (transmissivity, T and storage coefficient, S) based on observed drawdown data. Subtools include: Theis solution graphical interface; specific capacity analysis; root mean square drawdown analysis; automated estimation of T and S (based on initial guess); curve matching (type curves and pump test data); confined, leaky and unconfined aquifers; and slug test analysis - methods: Hvorslev (1951), Cooper (1967), and Bower-Rice (1976).
Realtime Data Analysis Tool
An analytics tool is available for visual and statistical exploration of scatter-point data, including: histogram, PDF/CDF, spatial and temporal analysis of parameter values; data density distribution visualization; spatial interpolation (2D or 3D) using Inverse Distance Weighting or Kriging based on variogram modeling; linear regression analysis; outlier analysis and removal.
ZipMODFLOW Post-Analysis Tool
In addition to the realtime tools, in IGW-NET users can load, run and visualize previously completed MODFLOW models in the ZipMODFLOW post analysis tool. Users can take most any MODFLOW model and inspect the boundary conditions, run the model, inspect cross-sections, do basic calibration, perform MODPATH particle tracking, and more.
Global Model Network and Instant Intelligent Reporting System
IGW-NET is directly linked to a Global Model Network, allowing users to share selectively their model results (images, plots, animations) and/or the model and its data. IGW-NET’s Intelligent Report System automatically and instantly converts “incomprehensible” low-level model inputs/options/settings into a high-level report summary of the model representation for easy assimilation by the general audience. Users are offered the flexibility to determine what and how much to make public.
Realtime Situational Help
IGW-NET’s user reference material is situationally embedded inside the modeling platform interfaces and submenus; real-time help buttons provide instant access to sub-pages explaining how to use different options or features. The Realtime Help Pages are continuously improving and will include not only technical reference material, but also links to related scientific material (e.g., typical parameter values, numerical / computational aspects, etc.). Eventually, our goal is to allow users to ‘model without a manual’.
Action-oriented Curriculum
IGW-NET is supported by a comprehensive set of web materials for groundwater education and learning how to use the various tools. The comprehensive, action-oriented groundwater curriculum consists of engaged-learning lessons, short problems and exercises, integrated capstone projects, video lectures and demos, and a Digital Library of model animations and visualizations. The problems / projects can be edited, customized, and refined by instructors based on their specific course learning objectives / curricular expectations, or new contents can be added directly to the Curriculum Network through IGW-NET’s embedded editing system.
Free of Charge
It is FREE to use IGW-NET. To ensure that we can offer this big data-enabled realtime interactive modeling platform as a service to the entire global community, we limit the maximum number of grid cells in X direction (west-east) for the free version of MAGNWT to 150. (The total number of grid cells in both the X and Y directions for the student version of IGW-NET is NYNY_max = 100 * 100 = 10000.) We also limit to 20 layers in the vertical direction. However, we do not really see this as a limitation; a vast majority of problems can be solved with smaller grid sizes, especially when taking advantage of IGW-NET hierarchical modeling capabilities (using multiple models across different scales / areas of interest instead of one large, high-resolution model).
The IGW-NET platform offers the following additional unique capabilities:
Realtime MODFLOW / IGW Numerical Engine
The IGW-NET model engine can utilize MODFLOW or Interactive Groundwater (IGW) solvers/algorithms and is real-time interactive, meaning you can visualize and computationally steer simulated flow and plume dynamics and water budget dynamically as the simulation proceeds (the output is provided dynamically as a "movie" or animation).
Support is provided for MODFLOW-6 (regular and nested grids), MODFLOW-2005, MODFLOW-USG (regular grids), and MODFLOW-NWT. On-the-fly nested modeling capability allows grid refinement in areas of interest. Boundary conditions or sources and sinks are modeled with the common packages (CHD, DRN, EVT, GHB, RCH, RIV, WEL), with future support for additional packages (SFR, LAK).
Realtime Cloud-powered Modeling
IGW-NET is cloud-powered – accessible on demand anywhere anytime, through an internet browser on your PC, smart phone, or tablet. There is no software or data to download, there is are no operating system requirements, and simulation, analysis and visualization are handled on IGW-NET’s server. Data, software, platform, as well as, computational infrastructure are provided as a service, benefiting the entire environmental/water community – researchers, consultants, educators, students, and managers and planners.
Collaborative/Participatory Modeling
And because IGW-NET is web-based, it enables an exciting, new type of participatory modeling experience where collaborators from around the world operate, control and work live on the same model(s). In other words, changes and updates made by users in completely different locations are displayed to all users in realtime. And when one user submits a model for simulation, all users in the group simultaneously view the results.
Realtime Data-enabled Modeling
IGW-NET is data-enabled, meaning it is live-linked to a preprocessed global spatial database so that you can instantly create a unified flow and transport model that can be further refined / modified. Key global datasets that are available for modeling include: land topography and surface water networks (from high resolution Digital Elevation Models), surficial aquifer thickness, hydraulic conductivity of surficial aquifers/deposits, climate data (precipitation air temperature), static water levels, monitoring well sensor data, land use, and soil type and soil properties. More datasets are available for specific regions (e.g., United States), and we are continuously expanding the scope of our global spatial database.
Recently, Web Data Services-enabled modeling was added to IGW-NET - a direct link or "bridge" between DataNet WMS, WFS, and WCS service layers and IGW-NET for data import and model parameterization. Users can take advantage of a global, multi-scale “Data Tree” of existing Data Web Services - organized by region and environmental category – or they can import from external / 3rd party web data servers.
Realtime Hierarchical Modeling
IGW-NET users can interactively and ‘on the fly’ insert models inside of models (inside of models, etc.) to characterize flow and transport processes at and across different spatial scales. This approach allows solving large complex problems encountered in real-world hydrogeology as a series of smaller, interconnected problems: multiple models across different scales or areas of interest are solved, instead of solving one large, high-resolution model. This approach significantly relaxes computational/numerical bottlenecks traditionally involved with tackling complexity.
Realtime Unstructured Grid Modeling
IGW-NET allows users to refine the computational grid to resolve more details in key areas of interest, for example: in the vicinity of a pumping well, or near a river or stream, where head dynamics change quickly over time and/or space. The approach is based on nested grids consisting of rectangular cells (other cell shapes are not supported at this time). Users can generate and visualize their unstructured grid using M4W IGW-NET, or they can import “refinement zones from a shapefile created externally. Unstructured grid results are automatically shown in the map display. Users can further analyze the unstructured model results with tools for: aquifer/zone water balance; cross-section visualization; time-series hydrographs (at monitoring wells); and particle tracking.
Realtime Stochastic Modeling
IGW-NET enables users to examine the impact of unmodeled small-scale heterogeneities and perform risk-based prediction through stochastic Monte Carlo simulations. Spatial parameters are represented random fields, and flow and transport simulations are automatically “recomputed” for the various realizations. Monte Carlo forward and reverse particle tracking applications allows realtime delineation of probabilistic capture zones and impact/influence zones, respectively. Monte Carlo solute transport modeling can be used to calculate the risk of exceeding MCL / threshold concentration values at locations of interest/concern.
Immersive 3D Geologic Modeling
IGW-NET includes capabilities for “multiscale transition probability geostatistics” (Carle, 1999) to simulate 3D aquifer material variability. The model links fundamental observable attributes (lithology transition rates from borehole records) with probabilistic “Markov chain model” parameters. The output is a set of materials sets (e.g., AQ (aquifer), MAQ (marginal aquifer), PCM (partially confining material), and CM (confining material)) and a visual representation on a 3D grid. The material sets can be used for GroundWater modeling (e.g., to generate a 3D hydraulic conductivity field). IGW-NET is live-linked to a number of statewide borehole lithology database, and also provides an interface filter for importing external lithology datasets.
Realtime Reactive Transport Modeling
IGW-NET users can interactively introduce particles as “tracers” in a variety of styles - at a point, in a zone, around a well(s), or along a line – or contaminants in different modes – as specified concentrations, fluxes, or head dependent fluxes, from various surface or subsurface sources, including polluted streams, lakes, injection wells, or leaky landfills/dump sites – and instantly track and visualize particles and plume migration, taking into account diffusion, dispersion, sorption, and reactions. Solute transport modeling in IGW-NET can be done with the Interactive Ground Water (IGW) source code or using MT3D, which allows simulating multi-species reactions (including interspecies reactions and parent-child chain reactions).
Realtime Variable-Density Flow Modeling
IGW-NET users can choose to model variable density groundwater systems (such as those involving temperature gradients or seawater intrusion) by using the integrated SEAWAT or MODFLOW-6 “Density Flow” solver. This couples constituent transport and flow and create visualizations with both concentration and head.
Realtime Coupled Lake-Aquifer Modeling
IGW-NET enables lake water balance modeling and coupled lake-groundwater modeling, accounting for precipitation, evaporation, surface runoff, surface water inflows/outflows, groundwater seepage and infiltration, etc. Lake levels can be computed as part of this coupled groundwater-lake interaction model.
Realtime Calibration with Bigdata
IGW-NET allows flow model calibration at regional scale using water level measurements from densely populated, statewide/provincial water well databases. Calibrating regional flow models to high-density (but noisy) water level data provides an excellent starting point for sub-scale data collection, modeling, and analysis.
Also available for calibration are US Geological Survey sensor data that can be seamlessly extracted and compared with simulated outputs. Groundwater level time series data can be used for both transient and steady-state model calibration (by comparing average, maximum, or minimum observed water levels to steady-state simulated head).
Automated Parameter Optimization
IGW-NET further allows estimating (optimizing) model parameters via the UCODE auto-calibration (inverse modeling) method based on nonlinear regression (Poeter and Hill, 1999). Observations to be matched in the regression can be: head (water levels), fluxes (e.g., to / from surface water bodies), and/or concentrations. Calibration parameters that can be optimized include: recharge (or recharge multiplier for spatially-explicit representations), hydraulic conductivity (or conductivity multiplier), anisotropy ratios (Kx/Ky, Kx/Kx), specific yield and specific storage, and river/stream/lake leakances and drain leakances.
Realtime Aquifer Test Modeling
IGW-NET offers tools for calculating drawdown and estimating aquifer properties (transmissivity, T and storage coefficient, S) based on observed drawdown data. Subtools include: Theis solution graphical interface; specific capacity analysis; root mean square drawdown analysis; automated estimation of T and S (based on initial guess); curve matching (type curves and pump test data); confined, leaky and unconfined aquifers; and slug test analysis - methods: Hvorslev (1951), Cooper (1967), and Bower-Rice (1976).
Realtime Data Analysis Tool
An analytics tool is available for visual and statistical exploration of scatter-point data, including: histogram, PDF/CDF, spatial and temporal analysis of parameter values; data density distribution visualization; spatial interpolation (2D or 3D) using Inverse Distance Weighting or Kriging based on variogram modeling; linear regression analysis; outlier analysis and removal.
ZipMODFLOW Post-Analysis Tool
In addition to the realtime tools, in IGW-NET users can load, run and visualize previously completed MODFLOW models in the ZipMODFLOW post analysis tool. Users can take most any MODFLOW model and inspect the boundary conditions, run the model, inspect cross-sections, do basic calibration, perform MODPATH particle tracking, and more.
Global Model Network and Instant Intelligent Reporting System
IGW-NET is directly linked to a Global Model Network, allowing users to share selectively their model results (images, plots, animations) and/or the model and its data. IGW-NET’s Intelligent Report System automatically and instantly converts “incomprehensible” low-level model inputs/options/settings into a high-level report summary of the model representation for easy assimilation by the general audience. Users are offered the flexibility to determine what and how much to make public.
Realtime Situational Help
IGW-NET’s user reference material is situationally embedded inside the modeling platform interfaces and submenus; real-time help buttons provide instant access to sub-pages explaining how to use different options or features. The Realtime Help Pages are continuously improving and will include not only technical reference material, but also links to related scientific material (e.g., typical parameter values, numerical / computational aspects, etc.). Eventually, our goal is to allow users to ‘model without a manual’.
Action-oriented Curriculum
IGW-NET is supported by a comprehensive set of web materials for groundwater education and learning how to use the various tools. The comprehensive, action-oriented groundwater curriculum consists of engaged-learning lessons, short problems and exercises, integrated capstone projects, video lectures and demos, and a Digital Library of model animations and visualizations. The problems / projects can be edited, customized, and refined by instructors based on their specific course learning objectives / curricular expectations, or new contents can be added directly to the Curriculum Network through IGW-NET’s embedded editing system.
Free of Charge
It is FREE to use IGW-NET. To ensure that we can offer this big data-enabled realtime interactive modeling platform as a service to the entire global community, we limit the maximum number of grid cells in X direction (west-east) for the free version of MAGNWT to 150. (The total number of grid cells in both the X and Y directions for the student version of IGW-NET is NYNY_max = 100 * 100 = 10000.) We also limit to 20 layers in the vertical direction. However, we do not really see this as a limitation; a vast majority of problems can be solved with smaller grid sizes, especially when taking advantage of IGW-NET hierarchical modeling capabilities (using multiple models across different scales / areas of interest instead of one large, high-resolution model).
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